I am not going to let myself be intimidated by a group of children that are twelve years old. When Steve (Michael Fasbinder) takes his girlfriend Jenny (kelly reilly) on a camping trip to a secluded lake with the intention of proposing to her, his plans for a perfect weekend quickly take a wrong turn. An encounter with a group of yobbish kids quickly escalates into violence, leaving the couple fighting for their lives. Steve’s plans for a perfect weekend. The vast majority of respectable horror films reflect society in some way, whether it is via the depiction of consumerism in George A. Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead” or by the depiction of foreign occupation in “28 Weeks Later.” Instead of holding up a mirror, however, first-time filmmaker James Watkins seems to be allowing viewers to gaze through a window at some of the problems that are associated with current life in the United Kingdom, such as knife crime and juvenile violence for example. In this place, violence is harsh, ferocious, and uncompromising; nonetheless, the most essential thing to note is that it has effects not just for the victims but also for the survivors. In spite of the fact that the plot is similar to that of a number of contemporary American horror films, such as “wrong turn” or “hostel,” Eden is about as far off from the majority of contemporary American horror films as it is possible to go. The fact that it has more of a focus on grit rather than spectacle makes it more evocative of classic American horror films such as “deliverance” or “southern comfort.” Which is an intriguing fact. Put out of your mind the effects-driven deaths that we have all been used to seeing in movies such as “final destination” or “resident evil” (fun as they are). Eden Lake is not a place where one should take pleasure in dying since it is a drawn-out process that is painful and untidy. Steve and Jenny are faced with something that is far more terrible than any monster or unfathomable evil that they have ever encountered: children! Once the children become aware of the situation they have put themselves into, they lose their self-assurance, and as a result, they present themselves as timid and fearful. They are unable to maintain the courage of their convictions when confronted with difficult decisions; instead, they cave in to the pressure of their peers, just as the majority of children do. Something that had begun as a little bit of fun to ease the boredom gradually spirals out of hand and becomes a scenario from which they can only envision one possible end. The rationale that Steve and Jenny give themselves is never going to be able to compete with their irrational fear and their refusal to confront the repercussions of their actions. The true horror is not the result of seeing children armed with knives; rather, it is the understanding that if we were in a scenario like that, the majority of us would behave in the same manner (and most likely would have behaved in the same manner). Who wouldn’t be able to tell a group of children off for slicing and blatantly making a nuisance of themselves while the majority of folks are simply trying to keep themselves to themselves? Considering the repercussions, it is not an easy thing to accept that the same thing may happen to us just as easily as it is to picture it happening to other people. What kind of response would any rational person have to a group of children assaulting them? Similar to the situation that the children find themselves in, there are no simple solutions to this problem. The fact that Watkins has constructed a cast that is not just brilliant but also somewhat unknown (yet superb) is a significant factor that works in favor of the film. Michael Fassbinder, a rising star who has been in Hunger, Inglorious Bustards, and 300, and Kelly Riley, who is an amazing actress, are at the center of the casting. She is a stage, cinema, and television actress in the United Kingdom who is widely recognized. Her character has the most subdued development and is forced to make the most uncomfortable choices. If a teacher is someone who loves children, how does she cope with the possibility that children would attempt to murder her? The children all give performances that are very genuine, but Thomas Turgoose (this is England, somers town) stands out as the most natural of the children. Despite being the most well-known of the children, he is assigned the most modest role. This naturalism is what causes you to sense feelings of both compassion and terror for the children at the same time. Eden Lake would have been Werner Herzog’s choice for a horror film if he had ever filmed one. It is unfiltered, it is genuine, and at its foundation, it is about imperfect humans and the brutality that we inflict upon one another. Eden Lake is the epitome of contemporary European horror, since it is uncompromising, demanding, and disturbing all at the same time. When you see a movie like Eden Lake, you are not going to like it because it compels you to confront the truth of contemporary life, it prompts you to reflect on the problems that modern society faces, and it wants you to reevaluate who you are. Which number of contemporary films are you able to say that about? eight out of ten for spitting flicks Please visit www.southerncomfortent.com for more information for your convenience.